Onion weed

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cluke
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:32 pm
Location: Macedon ranges, Vic

Onion weed

Post by cluke » Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:18 pm

I am very new at all of this. I have to admit I am in the middle of getting Peters books. I have only just heard of this method from Australian Story and now reading the website. Having said that. I would be very commited to a natural chemical free way of managing my property.

I have just bought a 40 acre property in Macedon ranges, Vic. The paddocks were eaten quite badly out when I arrived. I have been resting most of the paddocks for 6 months with only 2 horses on it. I have recently realised that most of my paddocks are now full of onion grass, now quite long. And I have learnt that this may cause fibrous balls in my horses gut. Hence I have gone from the luxury of having 40 acres and 2 horses to one small paddock that I can put them in. A farmer friend visited and said to spray it all! That would be my whole property just about.

I have some rye grass throughout the property as well and a small paddock being overrun by capeweed. My neighbour told me that the onion grass just grows in winter and in spring the better grass will grow.

So am I right in just getting the paddocks slashed? Doe this work for thin onion weed as well?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Carolyn

duane
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Location: Central Coast, NSW
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Post by duane » Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:08 pm

Luke

There capeweed will rebuild your soil.

Let it grow out to the max THEN slash.

Leave it on top as mulch and wait for the next cycle.

Gardening Australia last week had a piece with Jeremy Coleby Williams did a segment and in it was onion weed control. Its very similar to Peter's techniques which says' plants cannot live in their own waste residue".

The cure--dig out the onion weed, bulbs and all.
Soak the whole plant in a 20l tin or bucket.
Put a lid on it and leave for 3 weeks.

Pour the resultant water over the offending remaining onion grass.

Let us know how you go!!

Shirley Henderson
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Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 4:03 pm
Location: Thirlmere

Post by Shirley Henderson » Sat Aug 01, 2009 8:17 am

Is this true about the onion weed causing fibrous balls in a horses gut? Has anyone else heard of that? Certainly improving the choice of food in your paddocks would be the best thing you could do. Onion weed tastes bad. Peter advocates diversity and as much as possible. Sew everything you can that horses will eat and I am sure they will eat the best food avaialable or see what comes up and investigate it. Onion weed likes the sun, shade them out with tall growing plants that are more edible and healthy for your horses. Be pateint as said earlier spring time will surely bring you a few surprises.

Stringybark
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 10:24 am
Location: Wagga Wagga. NSW

Onion grass

Post by Stringybark » Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:18 am

Hi Luke and Shirley,
Here is an informative link on Onion grass.

http://herbiguide.net/Portals/0/Descrip ... _Grass.htm

I encountered onion grass on a grazing property in south western Victoria, a few years ago.
It showed evidence of favouring low fertility areas. I didn't spray it out, just applied fertilizer (fish based liquid) and found the desired pasture species out competed it. The next winter there was negligable onion grass to be found throughout the paddock of over 120 acres. The next winter after that, gone.
If I were in the same position today, I would apply NSF principles and have the area slashed when the onion grass was well into the seed producing stage of it's life cycle..
Actually I would most likely leave a test strip somewhere to be able to benchmark the effectiveness of the management efforts. Perhaps a twenty square metre area.
Has anyone any ideas on what to do if the terrain prohibits slashing? Such as being too rocky.

ColinJEly
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:50 am
Location: melbourne

Post by ColinJEly » Sat Aug 01, 2009 11:20 am

Courtesy of the Herb Society of Victoria (Hills Branch)
Take one pot of boiling water
Add a few bunches of Onion Weed
....voila...Onion Weed Soup!

I have had it, it was certainly tasty..and safe to eat..I am still here! Can't comment on its nutritional benefits?

cluke
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:32 pm
Location: Macedon ranges, Vic

Post by cluke » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:51 am

Hi all,

Sorry for delayed reply. My internet has been down and I have been in Melb. Thank you very much for all of the advice. That is really reassuring to know a few options and also planting something else for my horses to eat a good idea. I will work out a plan from these replies now.
Carolyn

duane
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Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:44 pm
Location: Central Coast, NSW
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Post by duane » Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:26 am

Peter has a simply observation of landscape plant progressions that if followd can become a simple rule of thumb.

Plants follow a pattern or progression in the landscape determined amongst other things by the hydrology that connects all plants in the ground.

If, you can grasp this landscape function then there is a simple and effective way you can control plants naturally.

It is this. "Simply plants wont grow in their own residue".

What does that mean, I hear you all say?

Practically what it means is this. If you dig up the problem weed, in this case, onion grass, and place it just uphill above the onion weed in a contour so that when the contour fills with water it can tranport the waste residue down thru the growing onion weed, it should if Peter and I am correct, kill out all or most of the onion weed.

Maybe you could try it??

cluke
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:32 pm
Location: Macedon ranges, Vic

Post by cluke » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:47 am

(sorry I have been away - my dad has been very ill)

Thank duanne for help. I will give this a try when I put my countour channel in.

We have let the cape weed grow and are about to buy a fergie tractor and slasher this week!
Carolyn

barnabas
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:09 pm

Re: Onion weed

Post by barnabas » Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:01 pm

Hi,

A word of caution when digging up Onion Weed. Many of the bulbs are whitish and are easily seen. But dormant ones can be dark brown and very small. These ones hide well in dirt. So be careful what you do with soil that you THINK you have removed all the bulbs from.

Good Luck,

Buy Marijuana Seeds

cluke
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:32 pm
Location: Macedon ranges, Vic

Re: Onion weed

Post by cluke » Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:43 pm

Thank you very much for the advice. I am trying to avoid digging it out.

It is 11 months since I put the post about onion weed. I have not done much other than slashing, putting organic matter on the upper slopes and resting paddocks (rotating so they are not eaten out). There is much more ground cover at the start of this winter. And It seems like there is not as much onion grass this winter. I am thinking/hoping the onion weed was dominant on the bare ground and there is more competition now. Will see as winter goes on and the following year.
Carolyn

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